The Richmond Kickers pro team plays in D2 of the United Soccer League (USL). The team used to play in the A-League (now called D1) but dropped one level for the 2006 season due to increasing travel costs.
In 1995, the Kickers captured the "double," winning both the USISL (now PDL) league championship and U.S. Open Cup championship.
While in the A-League, the Kickers made it to the league championship game twice. Both games were held on the road. In 2002, the team lost in double overtime in Milwaukee. In 2005, the team lost on penalty kicks in Seattle.
In addition to the D-2 pro team, the Kickers family also includes a women's team, the Richmond Kickers Destiny, in the W-League, and a high-level men's amateur team, the Richmond Kickers Future, in the Professional Development League (PDL), as well as a huge umbrella of youth teams and camps.
The Kickers finished the regular 2006 season with the best record in D2 and defeated the Cincinnati Kings in the semifinals. The league championship game was held in Richmond on August 26, 2006, and the Kickers defeated the Charlotte Eagles 2-1 to claim the 2006 USL D2 championship. Woohoo! Mike Burke (holding trophy in photo below) was named match MVP.
The Kickers play their home games at University of Richmond Stadium. The Destiny and Future split their home games between U of R Stadium and Sports Backers Stadium.
The Kickers have a number of avid supporters groups. The Sidekicks are the official fan club, while the Corner Kicks (who sit in front by the corner flag, usually on the left side) and Kick Offs (who sit at midfield at the top of the stadium) are among the unofficial fan groups. If I'm at a game but not taking photos, you can usually find me cheering on the team with the Corner Kicks. The Kickers' fans are a dominant presence on the USL Discussion boards (direct link to the Kickers D2 team board on USL Discussions is to the left; there are also boards dedicated to the Destiny, Future, and respective leagues on USLdiscussions.com).
I've been taking photos at some level at Kickers games since the late 1990s. My Kickers photos taken since 2002 are on Fotki here, and you can see a random sample of photos to the left thanks to a flickr feed.
Interested in buying any of my photos? Visit the Fotki site. Select the photos you wish to purchase, noting the size. Once you have added all of your desired images to the cart, click on the link at the top of each page for "Cart." You can change the sizes and quantities when you get to the shopping cart, if you like. You can order photos "anonymously" if you are not a Fotki member. However, please make sure to provide your email address so I can contact you if there is a problem with your order. Complete the ordering process, then wait for your prints to arrive directly from Fotki.com. Feel free to contact me (see my email address in the image to the bottom left) if you have any questions.
